Asperges - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

For the autism spectrum disorder, see Asperger syndrome
Asperger syndrome
Asperger's syndrome that is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It differs from other autism spectrum disorders by its relative preservation of linguistic and cognitive development...

.

Asperges is a name given to the rite of sprinkling a congregation with holy water

Holy water

Holy water is water that, in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Lutheranism, Oriental Orthodoxy, and some other churches, has been sanctified by a priest for the purpose of baptism, the blessing of persons, places, and objects; or as a means of repelling evil.The use for baptism and...

. The name comes from the first word in the 9th verse of Psalm 51

Psalm 51

Psalm 51 , traditionally referred to as the Miserere, its Latin incipit, is one of the Penitential Psalms. It begins: Have mercy on me, O God....

in the Latin translation, the Vulgate

Vulgate

The Vulgate is a late 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. It was largely the work of St. Jerome, who was commissioned by Pope Damasus I in 382 to make a revision of the old Latin translations...

, which is sung during the Traditional form of the rite, except during Eastertide

Eastertide

Eastertide, or the Easter Season, or Paschal Time, is the period of fifty days from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday.It is celebrated as a single joyful feast, indeed as the "great Lord's Day". Each Sunday of the season is treated as a Sunday of Easter, and, after the Sunday of the Resurrection,...

. The 51st Psalm is also one of the antiphon

Antiphon

An antiphon in Christian music and ritual, is a "responsory" by a choir or congregation, usually in Gregorian chant, to a psalm or other text in a religious service or musical work....

s that may be sung in the rite under the Mass of Paul VI

Mass of Paul VI

The Mass of Pope Paul VI is the liturgy of the Catholic Mass of the Roman Rite promulgated by Paul VI in 1969, after the Second Vatican Council...

Mass of Paul VI

"On Sundays, especially in Eastertide

Eastertide

, the blessing of holy water and sprinkling with it may be carried out in memory of baptism ... If the rite is performed within Mass

Mass (liturgy)

"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...

it takes the place of the usual penitential act at the beginning of the Mass" (Roman Missal

Roman Missal

The Roman Missal is the liturgical book that contains the texts and rubrics for the celebration of the Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church.-Situation before the Council of Trent:...

Ordo ad faciendam et aspergendam aquam benedictam, 1).

During the Easter Vigil

Easter Vigil

The Easter Vigil, also called the Paschal Vigil or the Great Vigil of Easter, is a service held in many Christian churches as the first official celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus. Historically, it is during this service that people are baptized and that adult catechumens are received into...

, Christmas

Christmas

Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...

, and the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, many
Catholic parish Masses reserve a part of the Mass during which the Apostle's or Nicene Creed would normally be said (after the homily) to renew the Baptismal promises and this may be accompanied by the use of holy water to bless the congregation. During the Funeral Mass, the casket is blessed with holy water and incense.

The priest

Priest

A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...

blesses the water with one of the three prayers proposed (one of which is reserved for Eastertide). He may also bless salt and put it in the water, if local conditions or custom of the people favours doing so. Then he takes a sprinkler

Aspergillum

An aspergillum is a liturgical implement used to sprinkle holy water. It comes in two common forms: a brush that is dipped in the water and shaken, and a perforated ball at the end of a short handle...

(called in Latin and sometimes in English an "aspersorium", and in English referred to also as an aspergil

Aspergillum

, and sprinkles himself, the ministers, and then the clergy and people, preferably walking through the church to do so.

While the sprinkling is being done, an antiphon or a hymn is sung. The Roman Missal

Roman Missal

The Roman Missal is the liturgical book that contains the texts and rubrics for the celebration of the Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church.-Situation before the Council of Trent:...

proposes several, based on the following verses of Scripture

Bible

The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...

Outside of Eastertide
During Eastertide
- and
- and

But other suitable hymns are permitted.

Often, the antiphon Asperges Me
Asperges Me
Asperges Me is a Latin antiphon said or sung at a Roman Catholic Solemn Mass in all seasons except the Easter season and Palm Sunday. It traditionally accompanies the Asperges, the ritual sprinkling of the congregation by the celebrant with holy water, as part of an entrance ritual, symbolising...

is sung, except during the Easter season

Eastertide

and on Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in all four Canonical Gospels. ....

, when it is replaced by the more lengthy and florid antiphon, Vidi aquam.

Traditional Form

Where the 1962 Missal is used, the Asperges is done before the principal Mass

Tridentine Mass

The Tridentine Mass is the form of the Roman Rite Mass contained in the typical editions of the Roman Missal that were published from 1570 to 1962. It was the most widely celebrated Mass liturgy in the world until the introduction of the Mass of Paul VI in December 1969...

on Sunday. The Asperges is so called from the words intoned at the beginning of the ceremony, taken from Psalm 51

Psalm 51

Psalm 51 , traditionally referred to as the Miserere, its Latin incipit, is one of the Penitential Psalms. It begins: Have mercy on me, O God....

, throughout the year except at Eastertide

Eastertide

, when Vidi aquam, with Psalm 117

Psalm 117

Psalm 117 is the 117th psalm of the Book of Psalms. With just two verses and sixteen words in Hebrew, it is the shortest of all 150 psalms.It is the 595th of the 1,189 chapters of the King James Version of the Bible making it the middle chapter. It is also the shortest chapter in this version of...

, is intoned. It precedes every other ceremony that may take place before the Mass, such as the blessing of palms

Arecaceae

Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...

or of candles. It is performed by the celebrant priest

Priest

wearing vestments of the liturgical color of the day. It is omitted when the Blessed Sacrament

Blessed Sacrament

The Blessed Sacrament, or the Body and Blood of Christ, is a devotional name used in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, Old Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches, to refer to the Host after it has been consecrated in the sacrament of the Eucharist...

is exposed, though many rubricists think that the sprinkling of the altar

Altar

An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...

only, not of the congregation, should then be omitted. After intoning the antiphon the priest recites the psalm Miserere
Psalm 51
Psalm 51 , traditionally referred to as the Miserere, its Latin incipit, is one of the Penitential Psalms. It begins: Have mercy on me, O God....

or Confitemini, according to the season, sprinkling first the front and platform of the altar, then himself, next the ministers and choir, and lastly the congregation, usually walking through the main part of the church, though he need not go beyond the gate of the sanctuary

Sanctuary

A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...

or choir. The ceremony has been in use at least from the tenth century, growing out of the custom of early antiquity of blessing water for the faithful on Sundays. Its object is to prepare the congregation for the celebration of the Mass by moving them to sentiments of penance

Penance

Penance is repentance of sins as well as the proper name of the Roman Catholic, Orthodox Christian, and Anglican Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation/Confession. It also plays a part in non-sacramental confession among Lutherans and other Protestants...

and reverence suggested by the words of the 51st psalm, or by impressing on them that they are about to assist at the sacrifice

Sacrifice

Sacrifice is the offering of food, objects or the lives of animals or people to God or the gods as an act of propitiation or worship.While sacrifice often implies ritual killing, the term offering can be used for bloodless sacrifices of cereal food or artifacts...

of our redemption as suggested in the psalm used at Easter

Easter

Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...

time.

Both the Asperges and the Vidi aquam are structured like the Introit of the Tridentine Mass: 1st verse (which includes Alleluias in Eastertide), 2nd verse (always from the Psalms), Gloria Patri (omitted in Passiontide), and then the 1st verse again.

Eastern Orthodox

In the Eastern Orthodox Church

Eastern Orthodox Church

The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...

and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite

Byzantine Rite

The Byzantine Rite, sometimes called the Rite of Constantinople or Constantinopolitan Rite is the liturgical rite used currently by all the Eastern Orthodox Churches, by the Greek Catholic Churches , and by the Protestant Ukrainian Lutheran Church...

, the sprinkling of holy water takes place on numerous occasions. The most important is on the Great Feast of Theophany (Epiphany) following the Great Blessing of Waters at the end of the Divine Liturgy

Divine Liturgy

Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine tradition of Christian liturgy. As such, it is used in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches. Armenian Christians, both of the Armenian Apostolic Church and of the Armenian Catholic Church, use the same term...

. The Great Blessing takes place twice: once on the Eve of the feast, and once on the day of the feast. At both blessings, the priest sprinkles the entire temple (church building) and the faithful

Laity

In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...

. He then begins the process of going to each family's home to sprinke it with the blessed "Theophany water".

Some monasteries and churches have the tradition of blessing holy water and sprinkling on the first day of each month. There are also several feast days during the year when sprinkling with holy water is prescribed, such as Bright Friday (Friday in Easter Week

Bright Week

Bright Week or Renewal Week is the name used by the Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches of the Byzantine Rite for the period of seven days beginning on Pascha and continuing up to the following Sunday, which is known as Thomas Sunday...

), the Feast of the Procession of the Cross on the first day of the Dormition Fast, and the Feast of Mid-Pentecost

Mid-Pentecost

Mid-Pentecost or Midfeast, also Meso-Pentecost ; is a feast day which occurs during the Paschal season in the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite....

(25 days after Easter

Easter

), when the fields are blessed with holy water. Certain ceremonies will also call for the blessing of holy water, such as the consecration

Consecration

Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...

of a church.

The form of aspergillum

Aspergillum

(holy water sprinkler) may differ from place to place. The Greek Orthodox will use a randistirion which is a standing vessel with a tapered lid. The tip of the lid is pierced with small holes, from which the holy water is sprinkled. The Russian Orthodox will use a whisk made of cotton, straw or hair from which the holy water is flung.

The blessing takes place at a holy water font or baptismal font

Baptismal font

A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...

which has been placed in the center of the temple. There are two types of blessings: the Great Blessing of Waters (used on Theophany) and the Lesser Blessing of Waters (used at other times). After blessing the holy water, the priest will bless himself and drink some of the holy water. He then stands next to the holy water font holding a blessing cross in his left hand and the aspergillum in his right. Each of the clergy and faithful come forward, drink a little of the newly-blessed holy water and then kiss the cross in the priest's hand as he sprinkles them on the head with holy water. During this process, the choir will chant hymns, which differ depending upon the type of blessing being celebrated. He will also sprinkle the sanctuary and the entire church.

Lutheranism

In Lutheranism

Lutheranism

Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...

, asperges occurs as a part of the Divine Service on Easter Sunday as a remembrance of baptism. The formula used is nearly identical to that of the Roman Catholic Church.

External links

Asperges from The Catholic Encyclopedia
Holy Theophany of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ from Handbook for Church Servers, by S. V. Bulgakov
Video of the 'Vidi Aquam' before Mass and Introit 'Jubilate Deo omnis terra' from 3rd Sunday after Easter.

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